Added: 3 years ago
From: Dmanlamius76
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  • This was a pretty good general discussion for people who are beginning to okat at a more sophisticated level. Thanks so much!

  • i have just bought a new bass , and its great but there is a buzz through the amp on the D string. but its not there if i press lightly on the string. but i need a louder stronger sound for a particular song ... help please , thanks.

  • I'm not necessarily getting frett buzz holding notes, it's just a metallic clicking sound as the E string touches down on the higher frets. it's tuned drop D at the moment and i'm usually in standard, and normally play with a pick.. i just like to play however the bassist of whichever song i'm playing does and this one uses fingers. i can hold the fret, THEN pluck the string, and it's clean. just this songs a bit faster with 3-4 fret gaps so i can't necessarily slide. note: only on the E (D)

  • I just got a low end bass guitar and it sounded pretty nice for the price, but when I turned the volume up it started buzzing a lot in some notes... which I though was really weird because I don't see the string hit the next fret. And it's even weirder because I only get buzz in some places: E string 2nd fret, D string 12nd fret, A string 3rd threat... just all over the place, but some notes are fine! Any thoughts?

  • My amp is broken, when im playing without the amp i get the buzz every single time i hold i fret please help asap

  • @leoppmkd The. Music. Man. Was.  A. Gift.

  • @Dmanlamius76 A gift from Jesus, that is.

  • To adjust the truss rod is very very dangerous LOL

  • I have a question, Please answer. My bass is making a weird rattling noise. With and without the amp. I think it's comming from the Tuning Machines. It's horrible, I don't know what to do, When I went to the guitar shop, He grabbed a wre nch and tightened the bolts. Is there an easier way? I don't got the money to go to the guitar shop and get it fixed

  • I just got my first bass yesterday, and have been playing for hours since I got it, but I get buzz every time I play a fret. The only time I don't get buzz is when I press the string harder, leaving me to wonder if I'm not holding the string hard enough. Any suggestions?

  • @MrNick2D Does the buzz come through when you play with an amp?

  • @Dmanlamius76 Unfortunately I don't have an amp yet, so I really can't say. Sorry.

  • @Dmanlamius76 im having the exact same problem i was strumming random frets looking for the buzs and noticed it was not the bass but the fret itself?

  • @MrNick2D u have to press right behind the fret for a clean sound so u dont have to press hard wen u play

  • @MrNick2D I have the same problem. Even with an amp. I have an Ibanez.

  • Nice vid man. Unrelated topic here, Just put new strings on my bass, but my A string is vibrating at the nut. Really annoying, the new strings are the same guage as the old ones. The buzz goes away when i hold a finger over the A string.

    Any ideas? Ur help would be really appreciated dude.

  • @ilentaf1 Does that buzz come through the amp bud?  If not, I wouldn't panic. It might just be a case that you need to wear the strings in a bit.

  • If the guy didn't use a straight edge and feeler gauges when he adjusted his truss rod the neck may now be too straight, or even have a slight back-bow he can't readily see visually. Some slight relief is usually required, as completely straight can cause some fret buzz. StewMac sells a notched straight edge which measures on the board, which is good since all the frets may not be the same height from playing. This is fun stuff to play with though. :)

  • Very helpful thanks matey

  • I accidently clicked this video, but stayed cause your intro made me laugh. You remind of the red headed guy off of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of The Dead for some reason.

  • 'scared' of truss rods?

    Man you are smoking the wrong shit!

  • i remember busting my truss rod when trying to adjust it.....never again....

  • nice vid man well helpfull , i was beginning to think my 3/4 bass was buggered coz all the low end fret noise and u pointed out that u cant hear that with an amp ..... genius

  • I apologize for being rude. How low/high do you keep your action?

  • @loinmute No problem. And it takes someone with balls to apologise in public. I Appreciate that. I like my action as low as possible, as I do a lot of chord work/slapping-popping/tapping. It just makes life a little easier! :)

  • Comment removed

  • @loinmute Because I've been playing bass for over 17 years. How old are you? I'm not 'scared' of truss rods. I'm just not the type of person that will go ahead and advise a stranger to do something to their bass, potentially breaking it, which would be my fault. So, it's best to be safe in my advice, rather than just being another youtube idiot. Cheers.

  • @Dmanlamius76

    I ve only been playing since 1998. I am just not going to spend my money on something that is as easy as an 1/8th of a turn on a rod. I have done this many times with no damage. What is the difference between some "pro" turning your rod an 1/8th turn and doing it myself? None! If you told them to turn 1/8th of a turn and wait 12 hours before turning again and how to measure RELIEF: you will not be responsible because there is no way they could fuck it up if done w/care.

  • @loinmute There you go. You answered it yourself. 'With care'. That makes me depekes me accountable if they don't do it 'with care', as with care is subjective. See where I'm going with this?

  • my bass has a buzz on the 3rd fret no matter what tuning it is in and its not bent at all and it does it no matter what technique i use and it was a brand new dean... it cost me about 200 and I've had it for a few months and i take really good care of it.. if you can tell me what may be wrong I would really appreciate it

  • @Altbassist34 Hard to reply, as I can't see it :( I'd take it to a shop....

  • @Altbassist34

    Truss rod adjustment or the fret came unlevel from the Dean factory.

  • how do i fix fret buzz on my bass... its pissing me off

  • If you're brave, take the strings off and mask fret board with blue painters tape. Then polish the frets with 0000 Steel wool.  Get brand new strings and get it up to tune. Adjust the intonation then try to get the neck almost straight . It should have the slighest bend in it, to wear it's not noticable unless your looking for it. Get a 6" rule measure the height of your "G" string and put it somewere around 4/64ths, now do that with all you strings. If it doesnt work take it to a shop.

  • I adjusted the truss rod on my bass, it was v. easy.  just take baby steps, quarter turn at a time, check and re-check. The action is now spot-on. You'll have to re-tweak saddles and intonation.

    I had a cowboy set up my first bass, he cut the nut slots way too low, then set action way to high to compensate for the buzz! Just a thought...

  • The Bassist from Korn has an ass load of buzz......

  • @TheRoflc0pterz That's because he uses 5 string bass and downtunes

  • @HarvesterofSorrow316 It isnt, because his bass is setup for the Drop A tuning he uses. Its because his tone is similar to Steve Harris' of Iron Maidens where the strings hit the frets which adds a tad more clarity so that they can be heard in the music they play. When you use a pick you dont need anything like this so you dont want any 'clack' as they call it

  • @TheRoflc0pterz That isn't quite fret buzz. It's controlled percussive playing, that gets more of a 'clack' than buzz, due to his personal set up.

  • he cant afford a deskchair, but he can but an imac....... dude..

  • @baracuda1290 I didn't buy the Imac...

  • does every1 basses buzz when you have your finger too high up on the fret (not through the amp)....just wanted to know.

  • when i open 'treble' on my bass, it buzzez,, i thought thi vid wil help :D

    

  • this guy is the bassist of Muse

  • @industrialrockk If I was, I wouldn't have a deckchair. I'd have a throne made of gold, with lovely ladies feeding me grapes.

  • @Dmanlamius76 lmao 

  • @industrialrockk Christopher Wolstenholme?

  • Dman, Im having some serious problems with my bass when I play because i can always hear my fingers rubbing up the strings when i switch positions. Any techniques that can help me fix that problem?

  • what is fretbuzz?

  • I always get a buzz when i play an open A, and only an open A.

    and im not sure if my strings are too far away from my fret board or something

  • how do u fix ur tuner key wen its kinda hard to turn 

  • @chase4train You could oil the tuning key's Gear a bit depending on what kind of tuning keys you have on your bass. 

  • hey so i play with a pick and i have some fret buzz when i play with it, without a pick there is no fret buzz.. so is there any way to get ride of the fret buzz and still play with a pick???

  • Kinda funny that you talk about chairs...

    How much was the musicman?

  • What if the G string only buzzes on the 21st Fret, the neck isn't bending, and the only solution is to raise the string height extremely high?

  • @puppetmetal Ive not a clue if this has been answered but to me it sounds like the nut near the top of the neck just below the machine heads on most bass's has worn down and you need a new one, the longer its left the more it will effect one's tone and eventual output sound. I had it with the A string on a cheap fender squier longer i left it the more it effected the other strings. If you are still searching try ebay. I tried to post the link but just search for bass guitar nuts.

  • @puppetmetal Trying to help Dmanlamius... Man... but man that's it, did you already Tuned the octaves (I think you call it Fine tuning) Consists to make de 12th fret as the exactly tune of the 'free' string... Try with a new string set ok?

  • If you have any fret cancellation, or if the amount of buzz that comes out of the amp is not desirable when PLAYED NORMALLY, then a t-rod adjustment is probably necessary. A full set-up is advisable, and if there's fret wear, a fret leveling and recrowning (know as a fret dressing) should be done as well.

    Don't sight a neck like that if you really want to know what's going on with it.

  • Hey, I hope you can get back to me on this, but anyway my bass has fretbuzz. However I cant hear it through my amp but it makes it hard to pick fast because it vibrates really wierdly is there anything i could do about this. Thanks

  • @A7Xb4SsiSt I'd take it to a music shop, and explain the problem. They maybe able to set it up properly :)

  • @A7Xb4SsiSt could be your playing the strings to hard. Pickups pick up string vibrations not sound waves. So more than likly you won't get the fret buzz through you amp. its prob the string hitting against the metal devide on your bass.

  • I'v never had fret buzzing with my bass, although i have never changed the strings on it (which i need to) but haven't had the money to yet.

  • Wow, I had that buzz, too. Already began worrying. But thanks to you...

    Indeed, altering my picking style did make a difference!

    Thanks a bunch!!!

  • hello, im having EXTREME issues on my home built Rhoads RRV and i was wondering if you could help me out with guitar fret buzz thanks

  • guys and dont forget you can change the action on your bass to get a higher action and that should clear a lot of the buzz.

  • YOU ARE SUCH A PUSSY FOR NOT MESSING WITH THE TRUSSROD.

    trussrod adjustments can make the action of that bass much better...

    makes me ...

  • I think old strings sound good

  • Great video! Thanks for your help!

  • My pal is a fan of your vids. He taught me to place my finger close to the little metal rods on each fret and near the middle. That works, but I think it's because I'm a beginner and I play a little too hard.

  • regarding changing strings: James Jamerson used Flat wound strings on his Fender Bass and never once changed them!

  • @lowbassfan Or Jaco!

  • yeah but it eventually saw him drop out of the session scene because his intonation was so bad that his recordings were unusable.He was apparently adamant about not changing his strings. Flats can last for a good few years, but not a whole career.

  • every time i strum any of the strings on my bass they buzz ridiculously you cant even hear how its supposed to sound please help!!

  • I have a question: my bass buzzes when i take my finger off a fretted note but doesnt buzz anywhere else, this problem is everywhere on the fretboard, is this normal or is my action too low?

  • thx man you helped me to

  • this vid is a big help!thanks! i'm just learning to play with my fingers but my amp is so damn small,finger playing sounds low unless i play harder

  • Could it just be how well he holds down when he frets? I've had a bit of buzz but it's always seemed to be me not paying attention to how much pressure I apply when I fret and I need to apply that smidgen more.

  • My bass has a warped neck, any suggestions?

  • what typa bass is that?

  • how often should you change your strings?

  • I'd say as soon as they feel "muddy".

  • what?

  • @TRIVIUMrocker123

    every 6 months for bass and every3 month for guitars

    (depending how much u use it too ;o)

  • @billmalta1 Not entirely true. It comes down to preference of sound, etc.  I went years without changing my strings. Oh, and I don't think that Jaco pastorious ever changed his (or at least not for a very long time) Sometimes the muddyness of strings, is what people like. These days, I loovvvvveeeee new strings! :)

  • @billmalta1 what if the strings came with the bass?

  • @billmalta1 Change Your stings when u think ur guitar or bass sounds like shit to "You"

  • buzz buzz buzz buzz

  • on my electric guitars i always adjust the truss rod. is it more dangerous to do the same on a bass guitar?

  • Ah, thank you for the video. As a beginner, the fret buzz is so unnerving since you obviously never hear it with the pros. I just cranked up the sound a bit more, and it sounds so much nicer.

  • this can be eliminated. the only other problem is that you have to sacrifice the string height. 90% of bass/guitar players use and prefer ridicolously low action.

  • over here in california its 40 bucks for a guitar tune up

  • british accent

  • oh bluh'ey elle

  • lol i did not understand you, english is not my born lenguaje

  • @derfskratch LOL!

  • Fruity amp

  • @psoulz haha thats what i heard too

  • music man basses are the best..well at least for me..:)

  • Nice bass

  • Thanks for your very useful video, I've just started learning bass, after playing guitar fo 5 years, and thought going to bass would be easier than I thought, I kept getting buzzing on my low -E string, on a Fender J bass, and was going to take it to a shop untill I saw your vid, great job, awesome.

  • my d string buzzes at the 15th fret only... if i play lightly with my fingers, it sounds fine.  but if i use a pick it rings a little (if i play lightly it sounds fine that way too). does the guitar need to be set up or does the truss rod need to be adjusted or what? is the neck just warped in that one spot?

  • ME to

  • That sounds like that fret in that one spot is scratched or something. You may want to get it smoothed.

  • i took it to the local shop and the guy said it's due to poor craftsmanship over in indonesia.

  • Man, fret buzz is really starting to get to me. When I play some rock/metal songs, my fingers ends up plucking too hard.

    I pretty much CAN'T use a pick because there'll be too much fret buzz. Any help, specifically for picking?

    Also, fret buzz only exists for my first string. For the other strings, its just fine (even if i play hard).

  • if your necks completely straight, its gonna buzz ALOT. you should have a slight bow in the neck, it should be about a 1/8th an inch higher at the nut than it is in the heel. and if you dont want to mess with the truss rod, just raise the height of the saddles to compensate.

  • It depends on the height of the saddle, if a straight neck will buzz or not. One of my basses has such a high saddle, that the neck has to be completely straight to buzz not on the higher frets.

  • thats not good. i've worked as a guitar tech at a couple local shoops, and i've never been able to get the intonation right on straight necks. it should have about an 1/8in difference in height between the nut and heel of the neck. i would adjust your saddles down, mate. there should be screws on either side of the saddle, just loosen it.

  • Oh, the intonation on this instrument is very good.

    But for a better action over the whole fretboard I gave it to a guitar tech. Oh, I recognized a mistake I made. The nut is called "Sattel" in german, which means "saddle". So my nut was very high, not the saddles. The saddle will get set down by a bass manufacturer. Sorry, I just thought "Sattel"(=Nut) and saddle would be the same!

  • I've been playing for a few years now but, what are the saddles?

  • they're the parts on the bridge that have a screw attached. there should be one to a string, or in some cases one to two strings (Tele's).

  • very nice video mate. Iv got bad fret buzz on my acoustic. Hopefully getting it sorted soon though =)

  • Thats what i was doing wrong, thnx

  • this is the first time i've watched a bass tutorial and it's really helped, congrats man, you teach pro or something? if not, you should! lol

  • what are your ampsetting for this tone

  • i have a question.

    my friend bought a bass online and it was a jazz bass so its fretless. can you add frets to it??

  • Haha, why would you want to add frets to it? Fretless instruments are great! But in all seriousness:

    To start off, not all Jazz Basses are fretless. What makes it a Jazz Bass are the pickups.

    As for the fretless business you can say yes and no.

    Yes if you're willing to heavily mod the instrument, but that may be a professional job only.

    No because as said, only a professional would be capable of putting frets in the bass.

    If you'd like, feel free to PM me and we can talk more in detail.

  • just buy a neck with frets

  • that would be useless..

    no frets starting off makings it easier to learn and be able to play by ear and you wont have to worry about hearing so many mistakes

  • dman i dont have sound on my computer

    :( leaving me unable to hear why i have fret buzz, if you could just send me a pm telling me why it would be a

  • Boy! what a heavy english accent,but he's cool though.

  • i take it cowboy is english slang for american lol

  • Nooooo! Not at all, lol! A cowboy is slang for someone who does something quickly, just to get the job done, without paying much attention to detail. :)

  • Do you know how to sweep? I'd love for someone to be able to explain that to me thoroughly.

  • @Dmanlamius76 right so American, correct? XD That's how alot of us seem to be!

  • maybe floppy strings due to a different tuning or string gauge

    sorry im a guitarist im just shooting in the dark

  • raising action at the bridge is a quick fix for buzz. Only a little though. and like he says in the video most buzz doesn't come through a system. are your DR's the taper core. if so i've noticed that those tend to have setup issues if you don't have it setup with those strings on it.

  • you can just use humbuckers...dont they generaly get rid of buzz?

  • humbuckers do not get rid of buzz. Buzz is an issue directly related to the guitar frets and fretboard in combination with the bridge and nut and truss rod. those are the things involved together. when all of those things are made well and used properly in relation to each other you will have minimal fret buzz. Humbuckers being electronics may prevent some of buzz going through an amp or system but doesn't rid you of a string buzzing on a particular fret.

  • well i feel dumb..at least i was slightly right haha...but yea i think i get that a little bit on mine but its easily fixed by pressing down really hard or not bending but mainly just on the lower frets or would it be the higher pitched ones? idk but yea

  • fret buzz isn't always bad. It adds to your tone. It's like a tiny bit of distortion

  • i have a stingray as well with a new set of DR Rounds on it my problem is a byzz on the A string 2nd 3rd and 4th fret it . i'm afraid to mess with the truss rod and i looked down the neck and it's straight as a arrow so i find myself plying my jazz bass instead, What should i do to get that A string clean like the rest of the strings?

  • i have a problem.i have only on the A string.i play the 7th fret,slowly its ok.i apply a little more pressure,and im not talking about aggresive plucking,just natural pluck,it buzzez and makes me nuts.there is not enough space between the string and the 8th fret,it always hits the fret.wtf should i do man...i even changed the trust rod...but nothing.its just impossible to hear that.please give me a tip or something if you know.thx

  • I had the same problem when i first started, but as time went on I noticed it went away. The only time I hear it now is when I don't hit the fret right.

  • Thanks for the tips, mate. I was having the same problem with the fret buzz and realised it came down technique as you mentioned (playing too hard). Loosened up and everything went great.

  • also the pickups might be 2 high

  • 0:27 he LYING he's not poor if he's got a Stingray bass!!!

  • It was a present from a very nice person...:)

  • lmao :P

  • No it was! My GF. She saved up for two years for it without me knowing, and gave it to me the christmas before last...! :D

  • haha nice dude :D thats soo cool of her!

    gotta love those stingrays

    i play a Fender Precision 60th Aniversary :)

  • hey, i get a buzz when i play my E string open? any suggestions on how to fix it? wb thanks

  • love the music man, my uncle had one, oh and your accent is fuckin rad

  • Really informative Video, my fret buzz usually comes from my weak ass Pinky.

    Got a quick question. What does getting your jazz set up entail?

    I bought a Fender Jazz, and other than tuning it up never really done anything else with it. What am I missing out on?

  • 3 Dont mess with the trust-road. Depending on if the neck is concave or convex, you have to turn the trust-road one way or another (this changes for each bass). Now you need to turn the trust-road by quarter increments, and for each increment you need to wait a long time for the wood to get used to it. I wait a day or so for each turn, meaning that a good tuning for your base could take a week!

  • Yup, the trust rod is a scary thing!

  • True, is Truss-Rod !!!

    Again, the whole deal about adjusting your bass neck is about being patient. Small turns, with hours of rest will give you the best results. I now have 4 different basses, and all behave and react different to the adjustments. That's the big problem with people doing it for you, they will never have enough patience to do the job right. Now, if you don't know what you are doing, if you are not patient or if you don't have the right tools...DON'T TRY TO DO IT YOURSELF !!!

  • Damn right, It's truss btw, not trust.

    Playing with the truss rod isn't all that dangerous aslong as your sensible...

    As you pointed out, the most dangerous thing is turning it too much in one go to get the desired curve instantly.. The next day it will be curved way too far and you'll have to readjust...

    Just wanted to emphasis your point and say it's quite safe to adjust as long as you use no more than a quarter turn per day.

  • It's worth noting that it can need adjusting seasonally... As the moisture content in the air changes the wood in some basses can become more or less supple, making the pull of the strings curve the neck out of straight.

  • Regarding the buzz:

    1 - True, we don't want our neck being too concave or too convex. But in fact, we should have a slight curve on our bass neck. It depends on each player, but in my case (I have 4 basses) they sound better with a tiny curve on their neck.

    2 To see the neck curve: from the body of the bass works, but is more difficult to get it right. Its a lot easier if you place the body end on your foot while sited, and then put your nose on the head of the base.

  • I think maybe its because you arent placing your finger on the fret properly. If u place it closer to the little metal thingy to the right of ur note ( a bit confusing) it should sound good. Thats how i get rid of my buzz. :)

  • Part-1 The neck should be concave. Hold down the low sting at the 1st and last frets, and with your third hand try to insert a credit card between the 8th fret and the string; that's the right gap, depending on how agressively you play, but start with that .

  • Part-2 Then set the string saddles at the bridge so the low string is 5/64ths from the 14-15th fret. Then set the high sting to 4/64ths and all the other string equally across - here again depends on how agressive your playing is. A good set-up man will ask to watch you play first. Hope this helps.

  • Don't want to generate a debate here, but bridge saddles height depend on each bass. The standard height should follow the radius of the fretboard, which changes from bass to bass. Also, it will depend on your playing style and your particular action needs. Regarding moving the saddles closer/farter to the fretboard affects the intonation of the strings. Always remember: the open string pitch need to be the same of the harmonic of the same string on the 12 fret.

  • Nut to 12thfret lenghth = 12thfret to bridge lenghth is perfect intonation; the harmonic WILL = the 12th fret note; saddle up/down doesn't affect lenghth of string only clearance from fret for player's style. We be cool bro, just need to disagree to agree.

  • good man keep up the good work :) funny intro!

  • The main raison about the fret buzz is because you usually play in your room right next to the amp. Its only a matter about the bottom bridge that move by the vibrations. I got that problem occasionnally on my fretless when i pump up the volume. Just refix your bridge and it gonna be all right.

  • your the christ of bass man, you explain everything perfectly

    i swear if i had money then id give most of it to you

  • hahaaaa i is gettin lessons off him tonight at miiiiine hahaaaaa lol good dude!

  • You're awesome man! Everything you said is totally helpful and I just wanted to say thank you.

  • Dude you play Acoustic Guitar to?

  • I love that bass

    I only have a bc rich virgo bass

  • this rocked.

    I just did the intonaition on my Gibson grabber.

    the neck has a tiny upright curve.. I hope that isn't so bad :(

    Cool bass as well mate. I've got a sunburst 2001 3 eq musicman as well.

    Take care !

  • My basses e strings gets "floppy" when i tune it down. My bass teacher told me that some basses have the e string further up on the head to give more tension thus less "floppyness".

  • The neck of any guitar or bass *should* have a little bit of a concave bend/curve to it when the instrument is set up properly. When strings vibrate, they form an arc, and neck needs to somewhat match that arc so the string can clear the frets properly while vibrating. That said, you shouldn't have *much* bend.

  • The best way to check neck bend ("relief") is to press one of the middle-most strings down against the frets at both ends of the neck (so that the string will form a perfectly straight line), and then see how much of a gap there is between the top of the frets and the underside of the string. There shouldn't be more than about 1/8 of an inch. If there is more, it doesn't necessarily mean your bass is "ruined" or anything, it usually just means you need to tighten the truss rod.

  • The whole point of the truss rud is to provide counter-tension to pull the neck "back" to a mostly-straight position, to counteract the forward-pulling force that the strings place on the neck.

  • i had the same problem ages ago but i just needed to hire the bridge

  • Dude, you rock! You were right, it was just my technique. I still have some buzz but as you pointed out it does not come through my amp. I would send you a new chair but I'm afraid shipping from Upstate NY to England would be outrageous! Def. count on a donation soon tho! Thanks again bro! Switching from bass to guitar is proving to be harder than I thought, but bass is so much more exciting!